Propellerheads REBIRTH RB338

Propellerheads REBIRTH RB338

An early demo version of RB338 with no pattern selector at the top... it was in pattern mode unless you switched to song. Also you can see the Master delay didnt have the step sync thing; just a delay 'Time' control along with the feedback and pan.

Here's the widely distributed and used version one - You can see now it's got a step tempo thing for the master delay.

Rebirth 2 followed, adding a 909 drumbox, a master out main filter eq and a compressor. individual 'units in the rack could be switched 'PCF' to the filter or to the 'Comp' (master compressor) or 'Dist' (master distortion) - That's as far as I remember without restarting an old Win98 machine down in the vaults with Rebirth installed on it!

I've got so many versions of Rebirth on old machines I might drag them out one day and do a good retrospective of the versions - Meanwhile... here's the old review from back in the day!

Here it is...The propellerhead 303/808 emulator... Brought to you by those naughty Swedes who programmed "Re-Cycle"....and guess what ??... Steinberg are going to be distributing this software soon, at which point it will have some features that work with Cubase... Apparently an option for the 808 to become midi master clock is one thing they are looking at.

There is not yet a fixed price... I heard a rumour that it would be about £ 200... which seems par for the course for other Steinberg Pluggins.

This demo version is totally disabled, even in terms of saving patterns... So as it also has a maximum 30 minutes run-time before closing, you'll have to work fast to create a pattern, record it over to your sampler or DAT, then try it in a track... The full version will export/record direct to .WAV or AIFF file.

Basically you get two 303's and an 808... they all programme the same as the real ones, and each virtual unit has it's own volume fader, accompanied by a "Distortion" switch, and a delay & pan control... You then have a master Delay & Distortion control to set the overall amount of each effect.

In practice, the visual moving LED seems about a bar behind the audio, and the 303's are as faithfully cryptic to programme as the real thing.... The main problem for me, is that in trying to make it look like the real thing, they have actually sacrificed some usability, as the controls for adjusting the filters etc are so small, that it's tricky to grab one quickly & tweak it.... also, you obviously can't tweak two parameters at the same time....As i said, hopefully the controls will be tweakable via controller data in the final release.

Well, so far by adding the special midi drivers from the Propellorheads site, I have managed to get it to clock to midi... it runs ok, once you've got the settings tweaked right... However, the drivers seemed to play havoc with the rest of my midid system, overiding sysex commands to the DB50XG synth etc....all a bit wierd... I think I'll have to try a few more experiments, but my general impression is, it's best used by streaming the audio to disk, then slotting the audio into a H/Disk track with the midi programme.

Anyhow... get it downloaded cos it sounds well cool... This really DOES sound like a 303 compared to whats around right now clone-wise, and you too can have loads of fun trying to work out how to programme a 303!... Have a listen to the little demo I made.... This is real coooool software shipmates.

OK , i thought...Hmm , another Dodgy 303 emulator so i unzipped , wacked up the volume , and.SHIT!!!! , i nearly ripped a hole in my trousers , this is one mean mother of a programme , could have saved me-self alot of money on the real stuff here ;) (well not quite , but ya know)...Dont wanna pay 200 quid for it though 100 would be reasonable..otherwise , shit-hot!

To be honest, the level of control, simply astounded me! One question? Can we import .wav... and .aiff files. I am very interested in getting the full version, but I am not given enough time to fully use it properly.

I got the demo and have the same comment on the knobs, and the inability to tweak two at the same time. I also was pretty unhappy with the price. I mean, $200 U.S. is a bit much but the 303 sounds are ALOT better than the rubber duck. I just wish you could use a .wav file as well, like the rubber duck.

I have been looking for a program like this ever since I started listening to techno...This program is much more than I immagined it would be.. I haven't been able to stop playing with this since I got it, and I don't think I ever will.

This thing is pretty tight , but why not a 909 instead of an 808? Also you can't twiddle 2 knobs at once!?! Outrageous. Plus why not maybe a sh-101 , a 303, and a 909, huh? Wouldn't that be wicked? All in all , not bad.

Well, it's a nice idea, considering the price of hardware TB-303 emulators. Having said that, it's not gonna replace a real 303 simply because of the 303's real time control. Everything on the RB-338 basically has to be preprogrammed. Hey Propellerheads! Here's an idea. Get together with some hardware manufacturers and include a hardware controller unit with faders and real knobs. Oh, and keep the price at $200US. That way it will be worth it for the money. When you can get cool shareware, freeware and musicware (? - hey Zap, I'm talking to you) such as Rubber-Duck, the Hammmerhead Rhythm Station, and Stomper, $200 is ridiculous a software only implementation (it's like paying over $600 for the original Cubase - no wonder they teamed up with Steinberg). Other wishes. Well, the buzz-word at the moment is plug-ins. Why not have plug-ins for other monosynths and drum/rhythm boxes? That way, we don't all end up creating the same trance shit.

Rebirth is a good deal of fun, although it's a shame that they had to emulate an 808 instead of a 909. Certainly it's the best TB303 emulator you can get for a PC, and the 808 is pretty close (although, unless you have a big sub-woofer, the bass drum sound has a tendancy to just go 'pop' instead of 'dvvvv'). Hopefully it will go some way towards killing off the TB303 - once the mystique has gone people will get bored with it, and then we can all move on and do something else. Future projects - Rebirth 119 would be nice (two SH101s and a 909, although the SH101 would be *bloody hard* to fit into a single screen, and harder still to control in real-time). For some reason the 'save loop as audio' feature adds a brief snippet of silence at the end of the song.

A few things here, people, First of all, I don't think Steinberg is going to be short of beta testers, then again, what's wrong with dreaming? Second, Kilo here doesn't own propellorhedz, so you're getting nowhere asking him about beta testing and bringing the price down! Ok, my opinion, RB-338 is kewl, price is a bit steep, I think it's down to $179US now, wich would be about $230 Canadian. I think the Idea of an external hardware controller/knob twiddler is awesome. Greetz from Canada, eh?

Hey, it's pretty cool... but I think I like the Hammerhead thing better right now, because of it's ability to work with Stomper and wav files and because well, it's FREE!!! But if someone could kindly tell me where to find the crack, then, hehe, I'd be much happier!

Since I have a h@#$%d version of Rebirth I'm looking for as much info on that product as possible. I'm gonna try the 909 bass today [I like the 909 more than the 808] and hope I can get some feedback about that to you soon.

Do you, by the way, know if there is any way to save Rebirth-songs in another format than Rebirth-song? And how could I split the 303's into 2 channels???

I'm just beginning to work with music-SW, but have some experience on Micro Moog and real 303 and 808. That' s why I ask this questions.

right people we got a mail from steinberg threatening legal action over the 909 patch....... apparently it is not simply a patch over to change the drum sounds, like an enthusiuasts patch, rather it is an illegal version.....]:0

here's the mail......

Sirs,

on your website you do promote and offer for download an illegally

altered version of our copyrighted programm ReBirth RB-338, featuring

an altered drumset with 909 samples.

This is perfectly illegal.

Please remove this downloadable binary and all related links

and comments as soon as possible. Should this violation of

our copyrights continue for an extendend period of time, we

will pass this to our lawyers.

Regards,

Steinberg Soft- & Hardware GmbH

on behalf of

Propellerhead Software

I have to warn you that steinberg consider any comments about this patch illegal and litigatious,..... so stop talking about it right now !!!!!!

Hey ppl, dont you think the 303 mania is leading the music to SHIT? almost every modern song includes a TB 303 bassline! This is become annoying for more and more! I've heard HOW VAZ Modular II sounds and I can say THIS one is MUCH better than 1000s and 1000s of TB 303, a fuzzy, shitty, little box which costs 1k+ and sounds NOTHING compared to hardware and software modular synths.VAZ Modular 2 is MORE flexible, you can adjust EVERY parameter in your patch in realtime via MIDI-controllers, you can load and trigger samples (loops, notes, etc). VAZ Modular has unique and PERFECT, REAL analogue sound, not comparing to other softsynths such as Generator or Reaktor. And, ppl, you CAN do your patches, you can model your own sounds. Fucking good program! I forgot everything when I heard VAZ Modular 2. Every other synth's sounds now looking too plastic and too digital for me, even sampled analogue synths ;) And VAZ costs a fun amount of money (hehe, Rebirth's cost is fun due to shitty code and sound ;). Visit 'em at http://www.software-technology.com/

Hey ppl, dont you think the 303 mania is leading the music to SHIT? almost every modern song includes a TB 303 bassline! This is become annoying for more and more! I've heard HOW VAZ Modular II sounds and I can say THIS one is MUCH better than 1000s and 1000s of TB 303, a fuzzy, shitty, little box which costs 1k+ and sounds NOTHING compared to hardware and software modular synths.VAZ Modular 2 is MORE flexible, you can adjust EVERY parameter in your patch in realtime via MIDI-controllers, you can load and trigger samples (loops, notes, etc). VAZ Modular has unique and PERFECT, REAL analogue sound, not comparing to other softsynths such as Generator or Reaktor. And, ppl, you CAN do your patches, you can model your own sounds. Fucking good program! I forgot everything when I heard VAZ Modular 2. Every other synth's sounds now looking too plastic and too digital for me, even sampled analogue synths ;) And VAZ costs a fun amount of money (hehe, Rebirth's cost is fun due to shitty code and sound ;). Visit 'em at http://www.software-technology.com/

hey check out series 2 with 909 set andfilter goodies this upgrade puts it in class of its own. for all the wanky 303hedz complete traks can be createdbut some exc jungle, d@b, indus,elecro,can be created and syncing if you canwork it out enjoy

Yeah - great SW synth.....but (and its a small niggle) if you are colourblind (a bit) like I am you simply can't see the LED's for note on/note off etc. Please make the display bigger Propheads! Otherwise you can't go wrong. Best £130 I ever spent!

Good fun for about 2 months then you realise that it is pretty crap when used with a sequencer. You can't compare it to Vaz, Generator etc as you can't trigger it from MIDI so it's only useful for making cliched techno tracks or creating little loops.

yeah.. i agree with the above statement... i sounds.. sorta like a 303,808, and 909.. but in more of a mellow *blah* way than good... its fun to play with.... and skrew around with... and make seperate loops with... but as being a whole...and making a WHOLE track with just this machine (as many have done with the REAL 303, 909, and effects) just dont cut it.... the prop heads are nice peoples... i wear the ReBirth t-shirt almost every week or so.... its a cool concept and a fun thing to mess with...and COULD be a professional program...im expecting ReBirth 3.0 to be a much better program ...and LOOK OUT for Reason!!... but WAIT.... hold on.. is that ReBirth in Chem. Bros. hey boy hey girl?????? hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..

i have used Rebirth alot in the beginnig when i started to play music i thought i was great....hmm..but after a while it sound a bit dry...the drums isnt low enough and stuff like that, i have also used it with cubase (Rewire) it surely works but...no...i dont think so. but if you dont have a drummachine it's usefull

Some people disregard this as just being a 303, 909, and 808, emulator..boy they'r wrong... One off the strongest and coolest part off it is the fact that you can alter the drum sounds. by using so called "Modification" and this is a very BIG part off the program.. In series 2.01 you have an "Vintage ReBirth synth sound" which when used correctly brings the best 303 emulation on the market!!.. And whit the usage off mods one can make absolute stunning tracks ranging from dn'b to, Minimal to Acid or trance. There are mods whit stirngs, mods whit loops and just about every little thing you can think off. And it goes WELL off alone for producing music.. Whit the right MIND and Creativity you don't need much gear. and i'ff you'r unsatisfied whit the mod's you can just put in you'r own samples and make you'r own special rebirth traxx.. And it also has an exxelent Compressor and mixing options so that you can bring that "proffesional touch" to you'r mixes. and when realising stuff on labels..

Check it out.. I Really want to use this softwearbut i want to use my own external seqencer and i have never been ableto just play the bass on the keys ofmy keyboard is this possible? Please let me know write me at my email address. Thank ALLOT!!!!

Very Useful and has the best 303 sounds compare to other clones. However, nothing can beat the real thing. When I bought a real 303, I was so surprized that the ReBirth sounded so thin compare to a real 303. If you love 303, then get the real thing man!! That silver box is awesome as hell.

It's nice to start this thing up for a nostalgia trip. Otherwise I've been using this crazy futuristic sequencer called Reason 4. It's basically just the ReBirth RB338 setup with a couple of bells and whistles.